TomTom Develops "Real" Nav Software for iPhone

The guys over at BoingBoing stumbled on a brief article on Reuters that stated portable navigation manufacturer, TomTom, has developed it's own navigation application for the new 3G iPhone. In case you haven't kept up with all teh 3G iPhone news, the current iPhone does not offer true naviagtion capabilities becuase it lacks a GPS chip. It has a mapping application via Google Maps, but the phone estaimtes your location based on cellphone tower triangulation. The 3G iPhone will have a GPS chip and therefore will offer an improved GPS function, but it lacks the true portable nav experience because it still won't provide real turn-by-turn guidance.

TomTom already offers navigation software for PDAs and mobile smart phones, so the iPhone was a natural step for them. The TomTom nav would function much like it does for their portable devices, and would included turn-by-turn guidance. However, this goes against the Apple iPhone SDK agreement: 

TomTom Map Updates Available

As described in the previous post, sometimes old school is very cool, but when it comes to things like map for your GPS system, not so much. When I first moved to Seattle in 2004 to work as an OEM rep for Sirius, I was using map data from 2000 in my Kenwood navi. Needless to say there were many times I'd have to guess my best route rather than follow the nav's suggestions because Seattle has had some serious changes in the last few years. Roads in America are constantly undergoing construction, new roads added, old roads destroyed, exit ramps closed, new ramps added - so it's important to keep your map data up-to-date.

Well, TomTom is ready to get you up-to-speed and new map updates are available, ranging in price from $79 and up. It's pretty easy to update too, just go to their site, download the update, connect your PND via USB to your PC, run the software and booyah, done.

How Not to Get Pumped at the Pump

The one thing that kills me about the price of oil hovering around $100 is that every little cent counts when it comes to gas prices. Starting this quarter (Q1 2008) the guys at TomTom will allow owners of the TomTom 920 and TomTom 920T to receive real time gas prices on their GPS systems. Users will be able to pick prices based on the nearest gas station, nearest gas station on the route, or nearest within a user selectable radius. Users can select what grade of fuel to track (regular, mid-grade, premium, diesel). The prices can update through a Bluetooth connected phone or by connecting the GPS unit to a home computer.  The service is a part of the TomTom HOME service package and currently runs $14.95 a month. Full press release after the jump.